The Shaman's Child
by Caramelmoose
Summary: Mizuko doesn't like the city, the way the air screams pollution and the crowds force you into an anxious ball. She especially hates the lack of pure water, unlike the rivers back home. Still she needs that license before she goes home, then she can open her own little clinic and live a lazy life in the rural. If only she can stay in one solid piece...


The Shaman's Child

Chapter One

Polluted Air

"With the increasing birth rate of citizens with quirks the government has started to crack down on incorrect usage of quirks. Their solution: normal citizens cannot use their quirks unless they are within educational presence or have a hero license. This, while helping lesson the incorrect usage of quirks has also brought with it a surplus of citizens who are now jobless. Government officials claim the law will only be up until they find a better solution for the misuse of quirks...But how long will that take?"

* * *

The train was packed, something the small girl had never experienced before. Crowds of people all trapped in a tiny space, all talking over the creaking of wheels. Shuffling back and forth in a space with very little room. Mizuko felt like she was unable to breathe, she hated being solid, hated being forced into spots she couldn't fit within. Still she stayed in her small spot in the corner seat, head down, ears listening for her stop. The view outside was no longer of interest as the forest had quickly changed into ugly skyscrapers and polluted skies.

What a dismal place to be moving to, no large lakes and winding rivers, just human made pools filled with chemicals and large tanks of water out of reach of little hands. Even worse though was the lack of clouds in the sky Mizuko noted with a grimace. She was left with the irritating buzz of people chattering, static to the girl who practiced her breathing as she gripped her solid form. Eyes gazing forlornly at the newspaper long forgotten on the ground, the large header words bold and distasteful.

Why do trains even need to be so busy, Don't city folk all have cars? That's what the other kids always said. They all said the city was great, that it was better than their little town. Teeming with rich folk all dressed nice and living without care. That's what the other girls always fawned about when they spoke about going to school in the city. Now that Mizuko thinks about it though, she regrets being so gullible. They were obviously lying to her to get her out of town, They knew Mizuko prefers a lazy life over working everyday just to have food. Jerks.

"Now entering Musutafu" The intercoms calmly explained.

Mizuko stood at the sound only to stumble for a pole at the trains jerky stop. Her height made it hard to reach a handle and she ended up falling into an elderly man...He had white hair so he's elderly right? The man tiredly looked at her under his glasses, eyes tired and worn with age. The way he seemed to read her over made the girl shudder. So she quickly apologized before pushing through the many heat sacks among the train and tripping out into the station.

Quick to scamper out of site of the train the small girl was left to wander through a forest of metal. Eyes running from a small notepad with directions to the streets before her letting out a long sigh.

Part of the girl wished she didn't need to be in the city for schooling. But the other half kept brave as she fumbled through street after street. People seemed to give her a once over as she shimmied past leaving Mizuko to worry. Maybe it was the way she was dressed? Or her pitiful face? Still the girl found herself holding herself the closer she got to the school grounds, , mumbles tossing from her lips in a mantra.

"I am solid, I am solid, I am solid…"

The anxiety only grew with the sight of the school grounds. Large, intimidating, and industrial. She didn't like the look of it. Others were entering the grounds when she finally stood before the gate. They all wore school uniforms of different color and style...It left the girl upset. She didn't have one of those afterall. Maybe this was a sign that such a place was not designed for her. She was afterall a lazy country girl, when the girl had turned six her mother had taken her out of school and she never really looked back…

Well no, she did, but that was because it's a bit lonely to sit around your house all day growing plants and feeding animals.

Still! Mizuko slapped her cheeks lightly to force her thoughts out of their depressing wormhole. She wasn't going to school for foolish things like learning and fighting! She just needed to get that license and she'll be right back home starting up her own clinic. Ah, it would be such a cute clinic too, nice and small, clean and smelling of lavender. Just like her mothers.

For now she just needed to pretend she wanted to be a hero, Easy!

* * *

Or not, A robot shot out through the building behind Mizuko just as she'd caught her breath forcing a yelp from her pale lips. The small girl barely dodged the rubble and let out a thankful sigh when another kid came blasting by and blew the robot into pieces. The said boy threw a glare her way, a growl most likely on the tip of his lips, before taking in her tiny form and letting out a sigh. He rubs his neck before muttering something under his breath. With that the student disappears from her sight.

While Mizuko is a bit hurt at his lack of interest in helping her, she's also thankful he's gone. She never really liked fire...it makes her feel like she is melting. Still, with the way this 'test' is going the girl has no chance of passing. The sky is still dry as can be and their stuck in a fake town with no lakes to dip within. The girl can feel her form tremble with lack of liquid and starts to worry her lips.

The robots are rather large and obtrusive, but probably not hard to take down. It should be easy for anybody else, just find the weak point and hit there. Only Mizuko can't find the will to do so, it feels wrong, they are just big hunks of metal, no flesh, no emotions, yet she can't throw fist. Instead the girl finds herself running behind rubble to hide. Realistically, she can take them down, she just isn't willing to lose her form for such premises. Nor is she willing to stoop to heroes violent behavior.

"Ugh."

Someone's groaning nearby, her ears can just barely hear the voice and she can't help her feet movements. Hurried steps, ears sharpened to any sound as she glances about the field for another form. Anything organic and in need. She happens to spot wisps of purple and immediately move towards the color. The closer she comes the more of a human form appears in the dark alley before her.

A boy. He's kneeling over his leg and hissing curses. The girl worries, frozen at the entrance. Could she help? She doesn't want to lose herself, not even for some random injured boy. Surely they have a medical team on stand by that the boy can see after the test. Something, anything to ease her guilt.

With this in mind, the girl begins to turn around, And then Mizuko sees it, a little dribble of blood dripping from his leg and into a puddle by his shoes. She can't help the bubble of excitement at the site. Liquid. She can work with this.

"Can I see?" Mizuko does not remember walking closer to the boy, but now she finds herself kneeling before him. Hand raised right before the wound and waiting. She notes his pained face easily switches to that of one with distrust and stares back with a soft smile.

"The wound, can I see it" she prods, shifting her hand closer to the puddle of blood. Still not touching but close enough that she feels that tingles of harmony whisper in her ear. They beg her to envelope the waters and she ignores it in favour of glancing back up to the boy.

The boy just continues to glare at her causing her smile to falter a fraction. "I-I can heal it, just let me see it...ok?" She pleads into an unreadable form. The boy continues to glare for a few more seconds before letting out an annoyed sigh and shrugging at her.

When Mizuko still makes no move towards the injured leg he points at the broken leg with nonchalance "Go ahead and prod at it, not much I can do right now anyways" he grumbles, voice deeper than what Mizuko expected of a 15 year old. Maybe city kids grew up faster than country kids. It would explain the bizarre entrance exams they hold. They would probably be tougher. The blonde from before would prove that, he was rather feral like, it reminded her of the injured wolf back home. He'd gotten stuck in a hunter trap and snarled at her when she tried to help. She remembers being bitten before she could finally help the creature. Though Mizuko can't say she would let a boy bite her just because he was injured no matter how feral he may act. The guy before her is also quite abrasive, maybe it's a city thing? Gosh city kids are just scary! "Well?"

"Right!" She startles at his sudden snap and moves to dip her hands into the blood. Immediately she hears it sing in glee as it melds with her form and turns a clear blue. The boys eyebrow raises in interest as she swirls the water in her hand and has it crawl towards his leg. Moments later his wound has closed over and the blood is now all swarming around her hand. .No more is it blood, but water instead. Peppering her form with kisses and singing its love and reassurance towards her.

Mizuko can't help the smile that reaches her cheeks as she stands from her spot. "You just saved me mister!" she chirps in happiness. The boy, whose form is already starting to color, seems like he wants to say something about her comment but is interrupted by an intercom.

"10 more minutes before the end of the exam."

Both kids look at each other before Mizuko lets out a weak laugh and waves at the boy. "I gotta go grab some points but it was nice meeting you!" Then she's rushing away, ringing the water around her form as she listens for other students. She wonder belatedly if she should have asked for the boys name before shrugging the thought off. Chances are the won't meet again. Mizuko still has not gained a single point and she already knows she failed the written exam.

Instead the small girl tries to distract herself with helping random injured or tired kids. Allowing the waters to wrap around them and sing their holy songs. At one point she runs by the blonde again, when she tries to re-energize him he seems to almost snap before once again catching her form and running off. Mizuko does take much offense though, most of the kids in her town acted the same around her.

By the ring of the bell and the end of the test Mizuko finds she'd only really healed. She wants to feel bad for not doing the exams criteria but decides to shrug away the problem. She never was a fighter after all!

Instead the small girl happily hums as she leaves the testing ground tiredly. Sweaty hands fumbling with the wrinkled notepad in her bag, pouting a little as she tries to decipher her messy handwriting. With eyes trained on the paper she does not see the form rushing by her till she's being roughly bumped into the store building next to her. Her small form takes a second stumbling before she looks over at the perpetrator who is still walking ahead as though he didn't notice her small form.

Maybe he didn't? Everyone was pretty tired after the exam and Mizuko is quite small. She decides to ignore the feral boys rude behavior in favor of her good -bad- news. With her terrible studies and lack of any robot kills the girl doubted an acceptance letter would be reaching her house anytime soon.

Sure it meant she wouldn't get the hero license like she first meant to achieve but hey, also means she's not stuck in the city with all of its nasty fumes and early maturing teens. Besides, it's a bit unfair if she made it into the course when some kid who wanted to be a hero didn't. And she doesn't want to think the drive, she had woken up at four just to make a ten a.m appointment. The girl shudders to think of what time she'd be up for a normal class time.

Mizuko skips all the way to the train station with this in mind, happy to finally be heading back to the country. Her body was starting to itch from the pollution. Once on the train that girl decides that her failing was a good thing. Her body feels grounded with this revelation as anxiety lets go of her form. Yeah, this is for the best.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**


End file.
